Romancing The Rabbit
by Capital-C
Summary: An eighteen year old Miles Prower finds romance in a most unexpected place. Sort of a prequel to Cream's New Daddy. TailsxVanilla
1. Chapter 1

Romancing The Rabbit

Chapter One:

"There." Tails said, tightening the final bolt on his latest creation, the Tsunami.

It was the ultimate land, air, and sea vehicle. Capable of transforming from jet, to speed boat, to sub, to race car, and even a complete humanoid battle suit mode with fully functional arms and legs.

There was nowhere he couldn't go with this thing. It's jet and battle suit forms were even space worthy. It was undeniably the greatest thing he had built within his eighteen years of life. All that was left was to test it.

Laying his tools aside, he hopped in and drove the Tsunami outside in car mode, quickly switching to battle suit mode. He smirked from his place within the Tsunami's belly, then sent the suit charging towards the edge of a cliff, making it jump at the last second and execute a precision dive into the water below. He quickly converted the Tsunami into sub mode, diving deeper and deeper to test it's structural integrity under pressure. The battle suit mode was capable of moving about under water as well, but only above certain depths. The sub configuration was designed to be considerably more pressure resistant.

He continued to dive deeper and deeper into the water at speeds impossible for a sub of any other kind, till finally reaching his limit at record breaking depths. He quickly pointed the Tsunami back towards the surface, ascending with an even greater burst of speed. He soon reached the surface, converting the Tsunami into a speedboat.

He raced along the surface of the water at breakneck speeds that even Sonic would be proud of, then pushed the engine even further! It had taken no less than two chaos emeralds to get this kind of power, but it was more than worth it for the rush he was feeling as the scenery blew by at unbelievable speeds.

The floating island soon came into view as he continued to charge ahead. Converting the Tsunami back to battle suit mode, he launched himself up to the side of the island using the jets on it's back. He easily latched on using climbing spikes deployed from the Tsunami's hands and feet, then began making his way up the side of the island.

Upon reaching the top, he made the suit do a back flip off the island, quickly converting it to jet mode at the highest point in its backwards jump. He flew straight ahead for only a moment, then began executing one aerial maneuver after another, ending with a corkscrew dive towards the water that he somehow pulled out of at the last second, leaving the jet pointed skyward. He smirked yet again and launched the jet into space.

Upon breeching the atmosphere, he lingered in orbit. Memories of his times in space flooded his consciousness, both good and bad. He somehow felt at peace here, despite even the most tragic of memories breaching the surface.

This wasn't simply a place of loss for him. It was a place of beauty, a place for adventure. A place, not simply of love lost, but of love gained as well. A place of endless vastness and possibilities. The greatest hight he could reach! It was with these sentiments and a smile that he turned back to Mobious, thoroughly pleased with the results of the test run.

Upon reentering the atmosphere, he set a course for home at a more casual pace. He had yet to test the Tsunami's weapons systems or the many tools available in it's various modes, but that could wait till later. It's maneuverability and defensive capabilities were most important.

By the time Tails had reached his home/workshop, a storm was beginning to brew. A big one from the looks of it. He could tell just by looking at the sky.

"Better close the shutters." He said to himself, producing a small remote control from the cuff of his sock. He aimed it at the large glass greenhouse behind his home, activating a system of reenforced metal shutters that covered it completely from the inside out. It may have seemed a bit excessive to some, but to Tails it made perfect sense.

He had built that greenhouse a number of years ago, and had always made sure it was kept well protected. For this was where he stored Cosmo 2, a small tree that had grown from the seed left behind after Cosmo's death. The structure housed a number of other plants as well, for his interest in horticulture had grown a great deal over the years, along with his size.

He currently stood both head and shoulders above all but the largest of his friends. The last he had seen Sonic, the hedgehog had joked that he'd better not start calling him little bro. Tails had made a point of doing so periodically for the rest of the day. He smirked at the memory as he set to preparing lunch for himself. He next recalled with some amusement the first time Amy had seen him at his current hight. Her mouth had hung open for a full minute before he was forced to say something to snap her out of it. Being tall was fun.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, for a fox as busy as Tails at least. He checked on the greenhouse from time to time, did some fairly general tinkering in his workshop, and put the finishing touches on the Tsunami by painting it to match the color scheme of one of its predecessors, the Tornado Two.

Late that night, long after dark, the sound of a loud crash awoke Tails from his slumber. He promptly bounded out of bed, rushing outside to investigate. His efforts were rewarded by the sight of his precious greenhouse in shambles. A large birdlike mech lay embedded in its side, having been brought down by the storm. It had already begun to burn.

He barely had a second to contemplate the implications of the sight he faced before the mech's fuel tanks exploded, taking the mech and the greenhouse along with it.

The blood froze in his veins as he watched the only thing remianing of Cosmo becoming nothing more than fodder for a bonfire. He barely even felt the heat of the explosion as its force bowled him over, causing him to strike his head on a stone. Or the resulting shrapnel that had lodged itself in his shoulder. He simply lay there with a look of total shock and devastation as he slowly sank into unconsciousness.

TBC

(A.N) I've never asked for reviews before. But as an author, they're pretty much like food for me. So any questions, comments, or general shout-outs, would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you like this story, but you're interested in something different as well. Then check out Valley Of Shadows, a fanfic by my sibling Androclez.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic The Hedgehog. I don't pretend to. And I'm not making any money off this story.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Vanilla rabbit shot up in bed, startled awake by the sound of an explosion, the light from the resulting fire filtering in through her bedroom window. Her mind quickly pieced together the basics of the situation, sending her rushing from the comfort of her bed and out the front door in only her robe and nightgown. The sight that soon greeted her was nothing short of terrifying.

The motionless form of Miles Prower lay dangerously close to the burning wreckage of what was once a greenhouse, the distance making it impossible to tell if he was breathing or not.

Without a thought, she dashed towards the hill his home rested upon as fast as her legs could carry her.

Under other circumstances, her daughter and a number of others would've no doubt joined her in this endeavor, likely beating her to the punch. But both Cream and Amy were currently away on a trip of some sort. And the rest, such as Sonic, were either constantly on the move, or didn't live close enough to even know what was happening. In short, the area was basically abandoned aside from herself and Mr. Prower.

Upon reaching her destination, she promptly rushed to the fallen vulpine's side, placing her ear against his chest. Her efforts were rewarded by the sound of both a heart beat and steady breathing. A relieved sigh escaped her lips. He was simply unconscious. His injuries remained a concern, but that was something she could deal with at least. She would have to move him someplace safe before doing anything of course, but that too was something she could manage. Though he clearly outsized her a bit, her strength was notably greater than her size would've implied like many creatures of their world, even if not quite so impressive as some.

She lifted him as gently as possible, being careful of his head. Then carried him back to her home where she treated his injuries, leaving the fire to either burn itself out or be extinguished by the storm. It wasn't likely to spread any further than the already ruined structure, and there was frankly little she could do if it somehow did. She would simply have to keep an eye on it and hope for the best in that regard. She stayed awake for much of the night doing just that, as well as monitoring Tails' condition. Her vigil over the young fox continued even after the fire had died down completely.

She couldn't help smiling as she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful laying there, his chest rising and falling as he breathed. He'd grown into quite the handsome young man over the years, though she mentally chided herself for noticing at a time like that. She put it out of her head and focused on making sure his condition remained stable, yet sleep eventually claimed her as she sat there in the chair next to his bed.

In time, she woke to find herself still sitting in the chair next to what was normally her bed. The sun was up, and Tails had begun to stir. She watched as his eyes slowly fluttered open. They briefly took in his surroundings before settling upon her. She suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

"Morning." She said, a hint of hesitation in her tone. Tails remained silent for a moment.

"...Morning." He replied.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. He thought about it briefly.

"Alive." He replied. More silence followed.

"Well, I'm going to start breakfast now." Vanilla said as she began to stand. "Anything in particular you'd like?" She asked.

"Protein." Tails replied.

Briefly hesitating, Vanilla left for the kitchen and set to preparing eggs and toast. Her thoughts remained with her guest as she worked.

His tone had been... disconcerting. Every answer had been detached and compulsory. Empty... As if he'd spent every emotion in his body, and was now nothing more than a husk. He was the very image of a person who had just suffered some great loss.

She had never learned the full details surrounding Cosmo's death, nor did she know of the seed. Yet she could plainly see that something more than a greenhouse had been lost the night before. That the structure had stood for something. And that loosing it had been a crushing blow. She felt a need to comfort him somehow, but didn't know precisely how to proceed at the moment. For now, she would simply have to start with breakfast she decided, heaping the entire skillet of eggs onto a plate and placing the toast alongside it. She placed the plate onto a tray along with some utensils and a glass of orange juice, then carried it all back to her bedroom where she found her guest in virtually the same position she had left him in. He hadn't seen much point to moving apparently. It wasn't terribly encouraging, but she had to stay positive. She carried the tray to his bedside and sat it on the night stand.

"Let's get you up." She said, helping him into a sitting position. He moved without much enthusiasm, but didn't reject her assistance. She placed the tray in his lap and tied a napkin around his neck.

"_Thank you_." He said. The emotion had returned to his voice, which now held a quiet sadness despite his genuine gratitude.

"You're welcome." Vanilla replied softly. She then paused, uncertain if her next words would help or hurt.

"Miles..." She began hesitantly. "Tails..." She quickly corrected herself. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want... But I can see you're in pain... and it might help if you talked about it." She said. Tails remained silent for what felt like a long time, but was in fact under ten seconds.

"I... You don't have to call me Tails... And maybe it would help to tell someone." Tails said.

"I lost something important last night." He began. "I never talked about it... but there was a seed left behind after Cosmo's death. Sonic and Shadow were the only other ones who really knew about it.

I planted it, watched it grow... I learned everything I could about plants to make sure it was properly cared for at all times. I built a special greenhouse to protect it. I treated it like it was my own child. And still I couldn't save it! In the end I just... I failed her again." He said in resignation. It was then that he suddenly found himself enveloped in a gentle embrace. Her arms wrapped around him, her head against his.

"You did everything you could Miles. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over. I know that can't take away your loss, but I'm sure that Cosmo would want you to keep living more than anything right now. It's what I want for you, and I know she couldn't have cared for you any less than I do." Vanilla said as she held him intently. "Try to remember that." She said, kissing his forehead before releasing him completely. Tails remained silent, though her words and actions had clearly made an impact based on the look in his eyes.

"You should eat now..." Vanilla said, drawing his eyes to the meal resting on the tray in his lap. "You'll need your strength." She said. His eyes focused on her once more. He then turned his attention back to the food and ate in silence.

TBC

(A.N) Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Tails opened his eyes to find himself in the same room as before. (Not that he'd been expecting something else.)

It was midday now. The curtains and shades were drawn and the room had grown darker. He had drifted off to sleep not long after eating breakfast. Being injured tended to make you sleep a bit more apparently.

Vanilla was gone at the moment, likely off attending to some chores around the house. His thoughts drifted back to his conversation with her, the moment replaying itself inside his head.

The hug, the kiss... they had stunned him a bit at first. But as she held him and spoke those words, he'd felt a sense of comfort, a sense of ease and contentment. And something he couldn't quite put into words.

Much of what she'd said had been things he knew or had told himself in the past, but the genuine personal concern she'd expressed had truly struck a cord.

As she released him, his eyes had remained locked on her, part of him wishing she'd held on longer. It was a thought he couldn't help noting at the moment. His reflective thoughts were cut short by a light knock at the door before he could truly contemplate the implications however. Vanilla had returned to check up on him apparently.

"_Miles.._." She softly called through the door. She opened the door a bit when he absentmindedly neglected to answer. "_Miles_..." She repeated as she peeked inside to see if he was awake or not. She quickly spotted him, already sitting up.

"Oh, good, you're awake again." Vanilla said, entering the room. "I came to check on your shoulder." She said, crossing the room. "How does it feel?" She asked, taking a seat next to his bed.

"No major pain so long as I don't move it around too much." Tails replied.

"That's good." Vanilla said. "It's just that... I know I was thorough, but I can't help worrying I didn't get everything out when I cleaned it." She said, looking off to the side a bit.

Tails said nothing, instead pressing a few buttons on the wrist mounted device he wore.

"It's a scanner." He explained in response to Vanilla's questioning look as he slowly waved it back and forth above his injured shoulder. "Not to mention a number of other things." He added passively. "By setting it to scan for anything that doesn't match the molecular density of my bone or other tissue, I can detect any foreign matter that might be inside." He continued. The device then made a light beeping sound, announcing that the scan was completed. He checked the results on the screen.

"Just as I thought." Tails said. "You're an excellent nurse and surgeon Miss Rabbit." He complimented, giving her his first smile of the day. She couldn't help smiling a bit in return.

"That's a relief." She said. "It's a good thing you're always so well prepared. I can see why your friends depend on you so much."

"They haven't needed me all that much as of late." Tails said, sounding a bit down once again. "Sonic has handled most of the more recent threats by himself or with help from Knuckles or Shadow. Plus there's this new tech guy out there calling himself Analog Cat. I sometimes have to wonder if they really need me at all anymore." He said.

"Of course they need you!" Vanilla said. "Even if they _can_ handle certain things on their own, you're the only one they'd call if things were really serious! And even if there is someone else out there building and inventing things, I doubt he's capable of anything half as amazing as you."

"Well, it is true that none of the more recent threats have been all that big. Certainly nothing on the level of Chaos. Plus, they've all occured pretty far away from here. Sonic just happened to be in those areas because he travels all the time. It really wouldn't have made much sense for him to call me out on something like that now that I think about it. And it's not like the new guy has ever built anything as complex as a space ship or a transforming jet. So I guess I'm in no _real_ danger of being replaced." Tails said.

"Of course not." Vanilla assured. "You're their friend, no one could ever replace you as that. Or as a hero..." She added. "Even if you haven't been working with Sonic, you've never stopped helping people. And I can't help thinking it's because you're a good person." She finished. Tails smiled a bit. It seemed as if any concern of his could be alleviated with just a few well placed words from her.

"You're a really special person Miss Rabbit." He said, his eyes closed in a reflective manner. He could see why Cream thought the world of her mother. He could see rather clearly why anyone would think the world of her in fact.

"That's kind of you to say, but I'm nothing special really." Vanilla replied. Tails shook his head, his eyes still closed in that same reflective manner and the smile still on his face.

"You may not think so... but it's a fact." Tails said. "It takes something special to do what you do." He said as he looked up, his eyes now open. Vanilla felt her cheeks burn as he looked at her.

"I... I'll be starting dinner soon." Vanilla said, averting her eyes. "It should be ready in an hour or so." She added before taking her leave. She paused outside the door and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She shook the flustered thoughts from her head, then made her way to the kitchen. A stew would be good she decided as she set to preparing the meal. As she kneeled to retreve the pot, the sound of approaching footsteps alerted her to another presence in the room. She stood up.

"Miles?" She said at the sight of her unexpected visitor. "What are you doing out of bed?" She asked.

"Sorry." Tails said. "It's just... you left all of a sudden... I'm wondering if I did something wrong." He said as he scratched the back of his head. Vanilla sighed, closing her eyes and lowering her head as her hands rested on the countertop between them.

"No... You didn't do anything wrong Miles." Vanilla said. "I was just... You didn't do anything wrong." She repeated, deciding to leave it at that. "Though you really should be in bed." She added as an afterthought as she looked up.

"Sorry." Tails said for the second time. "I know I should still be resting. It's just... I feel sort of useless just laying in bed all day." He explained. He didn't mention how cold and empty the other room had felt without her presence. "I was hoping I could help you with dinner if that's okay. I figure it's the least I can do considering you probably saved my life last night." He added. Vanilla paused to consider.

"Well... I don't suppose it could hurt. So long as you're careful with that arm of yours." Vanilla said, pointing to his bandaged left arm.

"So what can I do?" Tails asked.

"You can cut up vegetables while I start on the bread." Vanilla replied. She turned and began taking out the vegetables as Tails took a seat at one of the stools on his side of the counter. She placed the vegetables on a cutting board and sat it in front of him before placing a knife alongside it. "Make sure they're chopped into nice big chunks, okay." She said.

"Yes Miss Rabbit!" Tails said, giving a salute and speaking as if addressing a high ranking officer.

"Pudding." Vanilla said as she retrieved something from a cabinet.

"Pudding?" Tails asked, confused.

"My last name." Vanilla replied.

It was actually more common for Mobians to use their species in a way more or less similar to a title/honorific, rather than holding a true family name. However, her family was among those who held a surname. Her husband had been among those who used a first name only, not unlike Sonic or Knuckles. Therefore, her maiden name had never changed according to law. It was considered acceptable for even a person holding a surname to be addressed by the name of their species rather than a last name, so only those who had gotten to know her on a more personal level knew Vanilla by her true name.

"_Vanilla Pudding?_" Tails asked, unsure what to make of the new information. Vanilla gave a nod in reply.

"I don't use it much because it sounds kind of funny. Especially when you put them together. But I think it's only fair... If I can call you Miles... You can call me Pudding." She said. Tails smiled.

"Well, Miss Puddin'..." He began. "I'll be sure to do just that." He said. She smiled at the nick name as they continued preparing the meal together.


End file.
